Blue Feathers
by Firefox
Summary: Sequel to "Blue to White". The Mage is defeated, but the Sickness he spawned? Not even close. Neoka’s got a bigger reminder of his past than he’d have liked… the question is, can he do anything about it, even with his Gift?
1. In visions of the dark night

Authors note: No, don't own Velgarth and all that Mercedes Lackey shoved in there.  Yes, do own Menith, Neoka, Amaro . . . and just every other character in here, come to think of it.  So, in short, all rights go to those who have a right to them.

It was strange.  

The room he had inhabited for the last ten years, the room he had just about grown up in, seemed almost as if it belonged to some bizarre, unknown person.  

Neoka looked around as he stood in front of the door, his face and eyes detached.  

Yes . . . very strange.

All the knick knacks he had collected over the years, all his school-books, clothes, even his shoes looked unfamiliar.

And all because he'd spent less than a week in Hardorn, all because 'Nasa had . . .

With a disgusted, throaty-sound, Neo threw his pack on the bed, entering the room with long, impatient strides.

He stopped at his open closet, glancing at the expensive mirror hanging beside it.  He was still in his purloined Whites, though they were anything but white now, smeared with dirt and sweat.  He could even see blood on it.

He covered his eyes with his right hand, frowning at how shaky it was.  

He needed to take a bath, get changed, get some food in his belly, and then go to sleep . . .

He groaned.  Sleep sounded so _good_ at the moment.  He was tempted to skip his list, just fall over right there and _sleep_.

But he didn't want to spend another second in those hated Whites, thinking about all that had happened while he had been in them.

***

Menith sighed bitterly as he sank into the steaming bath tub, his muscles felling like they'd been stretched over a good few leagues and hadn't been snapped back yet.

_Bloody saddle . ._ _. he thought, grimacing as he slid into a semi-comfortable position, _just cause I broke it's spine didn't mean it could break mine . . .__

Maybe later on he could smile at the thought that he gave as good as he got to the blasted thing.  It was no more than scrap leather now, thanks to the grueling ride from Hardorn to Haven.  But really, if he smiled now, he'd break something else.

As the heat from the water seeped slowly into his bones, he closed his eyes and tried to get his thoughts in order.

_Neoka was dead on his feet the entire trip back . . . and Amaro wouldn't say a word to any of the Companions, according to Hyatee . . . something really bad happened in Hardorn._

Well, that much was obvious.  It was also obvious that whatever happened had something to do with Neoka's sister.  Menith just didn't know _what._

_When the barrier between Valdemar and Hardorn went down, for some reason, I was sure Neoka had perished . . . something that _big _can't have been easy to destroy . . . especially since it absolutely _reeked _of that damned Sickness._

He cautiously wiggled his fingers, letting out a satisfied grunt when the movement only twinged a little.

_And I'm going to need to know just what in the hells happened over there by the time I go up before the Council tomorrow.  I'm going to look like an idiot if I tell them what I know now._

_:Don't worry so much, __Chosen__,: Hyatee, his Companion, said sleepily in the back of his head, _:Amaro's mother is trying to get Amaro to talk, so we'll know what happened by morning.  Get out of that bath and go to sleep, little brother.  Your thinking is giving me a headache.:_  
Menith sighed, then followed his Companion's instructions . . . mostly because he was going to do so anyway . . . or so he told himself._

***

Amaro laid out on a grassy hill overlooking the Collegium, his legs sprawled out and his neck and head flat on the ground.

Emery, his mother, stood a few feet away, looking down at him worriedly.

She had every right to be worried, of course.  He hadn't spoken since he and Neoka had left Hardorn.

_:Amaro__, stop this nonsense,: she demanded suddenly, snorting in annoyance, _:tell me what happened!:__

He didn't move.  Why didn't any of them get it?  How could he tell them anything when everything in his head was so knotted?  He didn't even know if he could string words together properly!

It had been like that ever since they'd left Hardorn.  By "they", of course, he meant himself and . . . and his Chosen.

He blinked up at the starry sky, wondering if Neoka could truly be called that.  It wasn't a Choosing in any sense of the word.  There'd been no "looking in the other's eyes", no "falling in absolute and complete love", there wasn't even the customary exchange of wonder!  No shared thoughts of "never ever leaving the other", or even a feeling of something being filled.

It was all _wrong_!

And the worst part, the most horrible part of it was Amaro couldn't do a thing about it.

He couldn't ignore Neoka.  The boy was _everywhere_ now.  In the back of his head, buzzing like a summer-time fly.  Even in his oats!  Amaro could have sworn his food tasted like Neoka's thoughts.

They couldn't grow apart over time, either.  A Bond didn't work that way.  Time meant nothing.

And to Repudiate Neoka . . . not even considering the emotional and mental issues that came into play, it was just too _dangerous for such a thing.  They had Bonded when Neoka had been completely open, fighting his sister and the Mage.  All his Channels wide and unblocked.  Once Amaro had reached for the boy's mind, there was no going back.  _

Their Bond was just too _big_.  If Amaro hadn't been holding himself back with every scrap of Shielding he possibly could, Neoka would have been a second skin.  It would have been difficult for them not to _move_ in unison, for the gods' sake!  

Repudiating Neoka was not only an impossibility, it would have meant instantaneous death for both of them.

Beside him Emery sighed.  There was a soft swish of movement, and she was gone.

Amaro couldn't feel guilty at the moment.  He was too tired, and too confused to feel much of anything.

Authors note: o_O it feels weird, not writing at least six more pages for this but . . . I don't have much time at the moment.  Things have gone from busy, to hectic, to downright chaotic.  In the past few months I've had my leg broken, my aunt die, my friend get pregnant then married, major school problems, a new goldfish, some irritating and debilitating computer problems, and a general lack of sleep.  *sighs* just thinking about it makes me grouchy.

Anywho, there were a few problems with getting this thing out.  Those computer problems ate up all of my saved files, so any documents I had in planning this sequel out are lost in giga-space now.  Presently, I'm writing this on memory, along with a few notes that I have in my notebook.

Also, the re-make of the ninth chapter of Blue to White is being rebuilt by memory.  It'll be up the moment I get a chance.

*thinks* er . . . I guess that's about it.  Don't forget to review!  It majorly boosts my will to write ^^ 


	2. I have dreamed of joy departed

Neoka lay completely still on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, not so much as twitching a finger.

Inside his head, the Collegium roared.

Neo had just enough Shielding to keep from loosing himself in the chaos… but that was about it.  He was too worn out to keep the voices away.  It was that simple.

So he lay there while people screamed their worries at him, bitterly sharing their every concern, and telling him every single thought they had on it.

If he closed his eyes and concentrated on not concentrating, their voices ran together unintelligibly.  It was slightly easier to deal with, when he couldn't understand most of what they said.

He didn't know how many candle marks he did this.  And truthfully, he didn't much care.  While he floated through others' contemplations, his body became lax.  His mind, completely and utterly drained, soon followed.

***

The maze of channels spread out before him as Neo dreamed, and he immedietly knew he was looking at his own mind.  It was too familiar to be interpreted as anything else.

He watched the threads of light with little interest in his half-lidded eyes.  He had no desire to dream about himself.  He wanted to sleep.  He wanted uninterrupted, Havens-sent sleep.

But apparently, he wasn't going to get that.

Sighing, he looked upon the center of himself.  The place where all the channels connected.  Where some sprouted from, where some began, and where a single one of them pierced through it and kept on going.

He stared at the one in disgust.  The thread that declared him a Herald.  One Chosen by the mystic Companions to serve Valdemar in any way possible.

He would have kicked it, had he had the use of his feet.  Instead, he glared resentfully.

And while he glared and muttered, a small black spot amongst the white became apparent.

_What…?_ He frowned and looked closely at the spot.  While he examined it, it seemed to spread, feeding off the glow of his center.  Neo did not like the look of that inky blotch.  It reminded him too much of… something.

Gathering a small thread of the sea of power inside him, he frowned again at the ink blotch, and reached down to touch the thread with it.

It _bolted_.  It sped down one of his channels like the hounds of all the hells were at its door.

And when it did, Neo _felt_ it move.  A zip of hurt followed its path, and Neo bit back a yelp of pain as he threw down the thread of power.

The ink blotch was at his center again, but it looked as if it was going to move through another channel.  The one that didn't end or begin with him.  The one that connected him to Amaro, and thusly to every other Herald in the kingdom.

With a sharp gasp, Neo grabbed the channel and blocked it with as much power as he could.

The agony following his actions made him shriek.  He eased the power off the channel slowly, still crying out as he watched the black spot slowly return to its feeding spot at his center.

When Neo was sure the thing wasn't going to bolt again, and was sure that he couldn't stand another moment of the pain, he eased off the channel all together.

He whimpered painfully as he looked down at his mental-hands.  They were raw and bleeding, shaky from nearly severing the connection between him and the Heralds.

And they shook even harder as he remembered what the ink blotch reminded him of.

_The Sickness,_ he whispered silently to himself, _the Mage…Vannasa…_

His entire being shaking now, Neo watched the small blot of Sickness slither around in his center, feeding off tendrils of power.

_I'm infected._

A short distance away, in a moonlit Companion stall, a slender white stallion awoke with a scream of agony.

***

Amaro didn't know if he'd been dreaming.  He didn't know why a sudden dread filled him, followed by something just short of terror, and then…

Pain.

Everything faded away in those unbearable moments… no, that unbearable eternity.  His mind, his body, everything was drowned and strangled by this unnamable torture.

Somewhere far away, he was writhing and thrashing on the stable floor, screaming with volume loud enough to wake half of Haven.  But that part of him was no longer connected, no longer important.

He could only see a pure white channel of energy connected him to someone, he could only hear the blaring roar of that same channel as pain screamed through it, he could only feel the being on the other end squeezing it mercilessly, wringing it with an unshakable grip, cutting off something more vital than air.  Amaro cried out and wept and begged the being to stop, but the roaring of the channel and the pain drowned him out.  

Slowly, mercifully, the being released his grip, released Amaro.  The Companion shook violently as he returned to his body, wheezing loudly as he gasped for air, his eyes clouded into milky white.  There was only a hint of sapphire in their depths.

And that scared the humans and Companions standing around him more than his vicious struggling before had.

***

_:Get__ up_, Menith!  This is bloody serious!:_ Hyatee's voice rang through Menith's skull like a dazzle-headache, shaking him out of deep slumber faster than a knife to the throat could have._

Menith sat up swiftly, his breath burning in his lungs as he gasped in shock.

_:For__ the love of-: he ran a hand over his face, growling aloud, _:Hyatee!  Next time you do that, I'm having a bloody heart attack, and taking you with me!:__

_:Not__ now, Menith,: Hyatee cut him off, and Menith knew it was important by his tone, _:get your arse to the stables.  It's about Amaro… and, if I'm not mistaken, Neoka.:__

Menith swore violently, bolting out of bed with a springiness that belied his age.  He shrugged into his Whites as he ran out of his room and down the corridor.

Half way to the stables, he noticed he was not alone.

"Jhaspar!" he sent a suspicious look to the King's Own, running beside him.

"Menith," the Own returned the glance, "I don't suppose you know what's going on either?"

"Not a bloody clue," Menith growled back as they reached the door leading to Companions Field.  They hurtled past it, heading straight for the stables.

Hyatee and Carogan, the Grove Born Companion, were waiting for them outside the entrance.

_:Hold__, __Chosen_,:_ Hyatee tossed his head, stepping forward to stop Menith's momentum and to provide a neck for the Herald to lean on._

"What's happened?  Why were we called?" Jhaspar demanded of Carogan while Menith caught his breath.

The Grove Born spoke so both Heralds could hear him.

_:Amaro__ woke a half candlemark ago, screaming… loud.  He's calmed down a bit, now, and we have a Healer looking at him… also, we've gotten a few words out of him finally.:_

"What?  What did he say?" Menith asked.

_:"__Neoka,": Hyatee replied, confusion in his voice, _:all he'll say is "Neoka", or he'll moan.  We cant make sense out of him.:__

"Can we see him?" Jhaspar asked quietly.

_:He's__ inside,: Carogan gestured with his nose.  Jhaspar nodded, entering the stables.  Menith followed._

It was immediately apparent where Amaro was.  There was a circle of people and Companions surrounding a stall near the back.  They made their way towards it.

"This is the last time!" an irate voice sounded from somewhere inside the group, "I told you all to get!  Now _get_!  I can't work with all of you breathing on my neck!"

The circle scattered as Menith smiled lop-sidedly.  It seemed Healer Y'von was looking after things.

Menith leaned over the stall door, frowning at the sight that greeted him.

Amaro was on his side, his sides rising and falling unevenly, his silvery hide dulled with sweat.  Healer Y'von had his head cradled carefully on her lap, her hands on either side of his head.  She had a concentrated set to her face.

"Is it something you can fix?" Jhaspar asked softly.  Y'von did not look up at them.

"No," she said finally, "I doubt even a MindHealer could do much…"

"What do you mean?" Menith asked.

"From what I can see…" she said hesitantly, brushing Amaro's forelock away from his clouded eyes, "it's nothing physical… it's mental… so I am of little use… but if a MindHealer were brought in here, I think they would see the same thing I do… and no type of Healer can do much for this…"

"What?  Do much for what?" Menith asked impatiently.  Y'von raised sad eyes to him.

"The bond between Amaro and Neoka has suffered great damage… it's almost as if Amaro tried to Repudiate the boy… but didn't go through with it all the way…"

In her arms, Amaro stirred.  His gray eyes bled into slightly tinted blue.

_:Neoka__!: he moaned in all their minds.  Menith furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.  There was no connection between the Companion and Neoka.  It was all a show… what was going on here?_

Amaro continued.

_:Neoka__,: this time, it was a mere whimper, __:stop, stop, please… it hurts…:_

Menith felt an unexplainable anger rise within him.  Neoka had no business distressing the Companions.

With a soft grunt, Menith turned and left the stables, legs striding for the Collegium.  For a certain Blue's room.

Authors note: Not polished, as I'm sure you can tell.  My head's about to fall off from stress and exhaustion, so I figured I might as well post what I have and hope for some good reviews to help me make it through the days ahead T_T

Hum… I kinda like this chapter… but that might be sleepiness talking.  Tell me if it tickles your fancy… or tickles your unending loathing… or something else all together…

^^ and a big shout-out to my peeps over in SH!  I'm in a weird mood, so you get mentioned! *grins and sticks out tongue*

"I neeeeeed the little tacos… I need them or I will explode… that happens to me sometimes…"

Little tacos = reviews

Yay!  That's from Invader ZIM… but it's probably all misquoted and stuff… meh, you get the idea ^^


	3. But a waking dream of life and light

Neo rolled quickly out of bed, his heart beating in his throat.

"Impossible," he whispered harshly to himself, "how could… I would have noticed…"

He broke off his vocal denial when he heard footsteps coming down the hall.  One glance at the candle that counted the marks and the brightening sky outside his window told him how odd that was.  It wouldn't be but a few candle marks till dawn.  What was someone doing walking around so early?

Abruptly, he realized that his mind was running desperately away from the problem at hand, giving him busy-work so he wouldn't fall into a pit of despair over… over the infection, over 'Nasa… 

The footsteps drew closer, and stopped outside his door.  He glanced up just as the person swung his door open without even a courtesy knock.  He glowered at the invasion as his eyes peered through the semi-darkness to identify Menith… a very angry looking Menith.

"_What in the bloody _hells _were you _thinking,_ you ignorant Aristo_?!" he near-screamed, storming into the room and grabbing Neo by the shoulders.  He began to shake him with every word, "Leave the bloody Companions _alone_!  In all my years as a Herald, I've seen nothing like this!  Have.  You.  _Completely_.  Lost.  Your.  Mind?!"

Neo sat frozen in shock by the rough handling, then gritted his teeth and violently pushed Menith away.

"Don't touch me, Herald!" he bit out, dark eyes snapping in fury.  Menith met his gaze with equal anger.

"Explain yourself _now_, Neoka Marron, if you don't want to be sent to the stocks for near killing a Companion!" the Herald shouted.  Neoka opened his mouth to argue, then realized he had no idea what the man was talking about.

"What?" he asked, drawing his head back and narrowing his eyes in confusion.

"What?  _What_!  What did you do to Amaro, you silly little git?!  He's wreathing in pain down in the stables, and all we can get from him is _your name_.  Now, explain before I flay your hide myself!"

Neo went pale.  

Even in the not-quite-morning light and the flickering candle illumination, Menith could see the boy's skin go from soft-gold to chilling white.  He frowned and made as if to take a step closer to the Blue, but stopped when Neoka flinched violently away from him, looking as if his breath had been stolen from his chest.

Neo trembled a little as he stumbled towards the door, shock-smothered thoughts flinging themselves around his head.

Had Amaro somehow been infected by the Sickness as well?

Or worse…

Had Neo infected Amaro, himself?  Had his own virus gotten to the Companion before Neo spotted it, or while he had been trying to corner it?

He rushed down the corridors, completely forgetting about the irate Herald in his room.

He wasn't even aware of when his unclad feet stopped hitting paved ground and started digging into the soft dirt of Companion's Field.

He bolted into the stalls, breath coming harshly to him although it hadn't been that long of a run.  He rushed down to the end of the building, where two Companions and the King's Own stood.  He shouldered roughly past them, not sparing them a look as he flew to Amaro's side.

The Healer that had the Companion's head in her lap sent him a grateful look that he missed completely.

"There you are, Trainee Marron," she took his hand, which had been trembling while it nervously stroked Amaro's neck, "do you know what's happened here?"

Neo stared blankly up at her, uncomprehendingly, until he swallowed and nodded.

"I… just… a moment, please…"

He pulled his hand from her grasp, and laid it on Amaro's temple, closing his eyes and Searching.

It took him a few agonizing moments, but he found no black marks, no inky Sickness blotches.  The only thing out of ordinary was the channel that connected Amaro to Neo; it was throbbing painfully, chafed and sore and bruised rather than a pure white flow of energy.

Gently, Neo laid a string of his own power in the channel, warming and healing it softly.

When the channel began to look normal again, Neo pulled out of Amaro's mind.  He opened his eyes to look up at the Healer.

"He's fine now…" he said quietly, then backed away from the Companion and leaned against the stall wall.  The Healer watched him for a bit, then nodded and got up.  As she left, she ushered the King's Own and the two Companions out.

Neo turned his head away from Amaro, towards the shadowed end of the stall.  

He had near panicked when Menith had told him what had happened.  Why?  Amaro wasn't that important to him, really.  It wasn't like the Companion was his sister…

A gasping moan filled the air, and it took a moment before Neo realized it had come from him.  He closed his weary eyes, pulling his knees up to his chest, laying his arms across them, and burying his head.

"I'm not a Herald," he whispered aloud, though he was not sure why exactly he did so.  Perhaps it was just to comfort himself, "I _don't _care about the Companion.  I'm not a Herald… Amaro told me himself, I'm not a Herald…"

Authors note: well, what's with that?  I don't remember Amaro saying anything like that, do you?  *evil grin* I think the next chapter should have a nice little flashback, explaining what Neo's saying, hmm?  Also, there's gona be some more angst, for those of you who miss it.

^^ now, for my chapter-ly griping section.  It seems I've got a culmination of about three minutes of on-line time for the entire month of February.  I've got a new job (bleh for coffee-shop-slave-position) a new sister (long story, but in short – uncle died, mom's the godmother, cousin is the new sister) an old feud between me and cheerleader-type-really-annoying-chick reignited thanks to me almost running her over with my friend's car (even longer story, but in short – she needs to stop hanging out in the parking lot.  It's common sense.  If people don't like you, and they drive cars, DON'T FRIGGIN TEMPT THEM!!!) a referral and a few detentions for almost killing the cheerleader-type-really-annoying-chick (meh, it was kinda worth it…) and last, but not least, a new Chinese restaurant opening up (I love them.  They have good egg rolls.)

Right.  That's about it.  Review!  As if your life depended on it!  Because, my pretties, if I ruled the world (and it's on my list of things to do!), it most certainly would… *enter shaking of fist here* 


	4. Hath left me brokenhearted

The cold blue morning stretched out before them, and in-between two stone pillars that belonged to the ruins of the capitol of Hardorn, there rose a pale white sun, breaking through the foggy horizon.

Neoka leaned against one of the columns, his head limp against the gray stone, his arms hanging limply by his side, his blood and dirt-smudged pilfered Whites now soaking wet from the rain storm that had visited them throughout the night.

It had fled when dawn came, but Neo had not moved.

Amaro was a few feet away, weary sapphire eyes fixed on the Blue…

Now his Chosen.

_:We__ shou-:_

"Don't talk to me like that."

Amaro flinched a little, then narrowed his eyes.  There was no reason for Neoka to be angry with him.  They hadn't moved from the ruins for two days, and Neoka hadn't moved from that single spot since he had stumbled there after crying his soul onto the steps where he had destroyed the Sickness Mage and his sister.

_:I__ have no other way to talk.:_

The Companion tried to sound tolerant and patient, but, plainly put, he was out of both.

He wanted to go home.  He wanted to see the rolling green hills of the Field.  He wanted to see the other Companions.

"Then speak as little as possible," Neoka snapped at him, throwing him a glare over his shoulder.

_:We__ need to leave,:_ Amaro persisted, taking a step forward, his own eyes narrowed, _:Menith and Hyatee will be waiting for us.:_

Neoka mumbled something.  Amaro snorted in annoyance.

_:Speak__ up, at least!  If you have an argument for why we should stay here, I'd love to hear it,: _the Companion pinned his ears back, more than slightly annoyed at the Blue's stubborn behavior.

"I said, I'm not stopping you," Neoka said, as if through gritted teeth.

Then the boy broke.

"_Why_?!" he demanded whirling from the stone pillar and facing Amaro with deep, deep sorrow in his ebony eyes, "why did you do it?!"

Amaro didn't have to ask what the boy meant.

_:To__ save Valdemar.  I Chose you to save my home,:_ he said it solemnly, quietly.

"To the _hells _with Valdemar!" but then it seemed the boy could think of nothing more to say after that.  He whirled away again, one hand reaching out to steady himself against the pillar.  Anger reared up in Amaro.

Did the boy think the Companion had sacrificed nothing in the fight?  A Choice was _not _something taken lightly!  Amaro had made the Choice because it was the only way to win.  The only way to save Valdemar.

Did that mean _nothing _to the boy?

_:What__ do you want me to say?: _Amaro demanded furiously, _:do you want me to say it was a mistake?  Do you want me to cry and whine and beg for your forgiveness?:_

"I want you to take it back!" Neoka cried, turning again and clenching his fists, his eyes as hard and cold as the cracked gray stone they stood upon, "_take it back_!"

_:I__ cant!: _Amaro yelled back just as desperately, then turned his head away and closed his sapphire eyes, _:Don't you think I tried?  While you were standing there, just looking at nothing, I _tried _getting away from you.  I didn't _want _this!  But…:_

"But?" Neoka demanded, gaze narrowed unforgivingly.

_:But__ it's too… it's too big,: _Amaro turned his head again to look at the boy, hopelessness hazing the rich sapphire into mere shadows of cerulean, _:to sever it would kill us both… Neoka, I don't care how much you don't want it, I _won't_ kill us.:_

"There can't be an _us_!" Neoka persisted, taking a few steps toward Amaro, "this is all wrong!  I'm not a Herald!  I _can't _be a Herald!"

_:I_know_!: _Amaro shouted the boy down, slamming his hoof onto the stone beneath him, _:don't you think I know?  You can't be a Herald, Neoka… I didn't Choose you to become one.  I Chose you to save Valdemar.:_

Their eyes linked, the night sky in one's gaze, the day's in another.  And there was understanding and despair in both.

"We… we're stuck like this?" Neoka finally whispered, wrapping his arms around his chest as if he were cold, "we're stuck together?"

_:We__ don't have to tell anyone,: _Amaro replied in the same tone of voice Neoka was using, _:we can just… go home… and never tell anyone what happened.:_

Neoka looked as if he wanted to say something, then decided against it.  He nodded his head.

"We'll… just pretend it didn't happen?" he asked hopefully.

Amaro shook his head sadly.

_:We__… will always be connected.  Your power and the circumstances of the Bonding has made sure of that… But we don't… we don't have to _be _together.  Once we're back home… once we're back in Haven, we don't ever have to see each other again.:_

Neoka searched Amaro's gaze for a time, until the boy found something he understood.

Mutual pain.

Neither wanted any part of this.  Neither wanted to be tied to the other.

But they were.  And there was no getting out of it.

"But I'm not a Herald," Neoka said, as if to make absolutely sure of the fact.

_:…__No.:_

***

Neo had been staring off into the distance for at least a candlemark, remembering the moment in time when Amaro had murmured the denial of a Heraldic title, when a soft sound drew his gaze back to the Companion.

Amaro stirred, blinking open his eyes, lifting his neck and looking around his stall confusedly, until his sapphire gaze fell on Neoka.  They were silent for a time, before the Companion broke the quiet spell.

_:I__ thought we weren't going to see each other again,: _he pointed out, tucking his legs under his belly and looking away from Neo.

"As did I," Neo agreed, turning his head away as well.

Another quiet filled the air between them, and when it was broken, it was Neo who was the culprit.

"I'm sorry."

_:For__ what?:_

"Lots of things," he whispered, eyes misting, but not yet dropping tears, "most of all, though, for making you go through this."

Amaro blinked at him.

_:You__… you Sent that pain to me on purpose?: _he asked confusedly.  Neo stiffened and whipped his head around to glare at the Companion.

"You're just as bad as Menith!" he accused, "of _course _I didn't!"

_:Then why are you sorry, Neoka?:_

"Because…" Neo trailed off, his gaze turning down to the ground frustratedly as he searched for words, "because, with this bond… I'm taking you with me… I'm taking you with me when I die."

Amaro stared at him, blankly, silent.

Neo shifted uncomfortably, whishing the Companion would say something.

Finally, Amaro did.

_:What__ in the Havens are you talking about?:_

Neo felt his jaw clench.  This was _important_, damn it!  What a time for the Companion to play stupid!

"I'm talking about me, being Infected, and damn near taking all the Heralds with me!" his eyes narrowed into mere slits.  He got to his feet rapidly, one finger outstretched to point at the Companion accusingly, "and it's all _your_bloody fault!

Amaro, still apparently not understanding any part of the situation, latched onto something he _could_ comprehend.

_:_My _fault?!  Why are you blaming this on _me_?!:_then the rest of Neoka's words sank in, _:_INFECTED_?!:_

Neo winced, covering his ears with his hands, though it did him no good, "you don't need to shout!"

_:What__ in the bloody hells do you mean, _Infected_?!: _Amaro demanded, scrambling to his own hooves.  Neo clamped his hands over Amaro's maw, though again, it would have no affect on the volume Amaro spoke with.

"Hush!" he demanded, "be quite or I swear I won't tell you a thing!"

Amaro looked exceedingly livid, but nodded his head once and did not utter a word.

Neo glared at him for a moment, before plopping back down on the hay.

"It's… it's a morphed form of the virus.  I can't just overpower it, like I did with the first form.  It… it runs away, down Channels," he looked up, wondering if the Companion understood what he was saying.  Amaro nodded for him to continue, "it draws off me too.  I'm feeding it a thread of power right now, so it doesn't move from me to… somewhere else… I don't know how I got it… unless," a thoughtful look overcame him, and he murmured aloud, "unless it was from the Border barrier… anyone who touched it got Infected… I broke through, but I guess… I guess a part of it touched me or something…"

He shook his head.  He was wallowing in stuff he had no proof of.  Best to stick to the facts.

"I tried beating it," he said, pulling his knees up to lean his arm across, "but it… it tried going through me to _you_.  I squeezed the Channel near shut… gods, did that hurt… and stopped going after it.  So it went back to my center…"

He looked up into the eyes of the Companion.

Amaro stood there, staring at him for a long while.  Finally, the Companion moved, lowering his head until it was in alignment with Neo's.

_:You__ may not be my __Chosen__, and I may not be your Companion,: _he began, a solemn tone to his voice, _:but we are together in this…:_

"How can we be?" a ring of hopelessness was still tainting Neo's own voice, "how can we be together in _any_thing?  Much less this?"

Amaro pulled his head back a little, looking away.

_:We've__ got a bond between us, as much as we may not want it.  It's not going to go away, if your "squeezing" it was any clue, without taking at _least_ one of us with it… and probably driving the survivor mad,: _he connected sober sapphire eyes to Neo's own ebon gaze.  _:You__ and I, we know you aren't a Herald… but through our connection, harm could come to the Heralds and Companions,: _his eyes turned pleading.  _:Please__, Neoka.  _Please _don't let that happen.  Let me help you through this.  We can beat it together, just like we beat-:_

Amaro silenced himself before he could say something he would regret, but Neo shook his head.

"No, you're right," the boy murmured softly, "we beat the Mage together… we can take care of this…"

_:Right__!: _Amaro nodded his head, cheerfulness entering his frame, _:so, what do we do now?:_

Neo raised an eyebrow at the sudden change in attitude, then shook his head as a rueful grin spread across his shadowed face.

"We… find someone who can teach me how to control my powers…" on the edges of his mind, an idea was forming.  It was too hazy to see fully, too incomplete to criticize or judge.  

But it was the beginning of something.  That much was clear.

***

Menith had a stomach ache.  He had back pains too.  And there was a kink in his leg that seemed to be gnawing at his bone.

But his other problems were getting a _lot_ bigger.

"What do you mean, _exile_?!" he shouted, standing up so fast from his chair that he was slightly dizzy for a moment.  Jhaspar made soothing motions with his hands, while Kara watched him unemotionally from her seat.

Several other Council members began angry murmurs, equally shocked by the King's Own suggestion.  Jhaspar hurried to reassure them.

"We cannot deal with his power," he said, shaking his head, "and he has become a threat to the Companions.  We Heralds will not accept that."

"What do you mean, _we _Heralds?" a Council member spoke up.  "Is he not one of you?"

Jhaspar looked over at Kara, who blinked back at them, then stood up, gracefully and silently.

"Whether or not Neoka Marron is a Herald is not the matter at hand.  He is a threat.  He must be dealt with accordingly," she sat back down, folding her hands over her lap calmly.

Menith was less than calm.

"Then make him an asset!  Take the threat away by training him!" he growled loudly.  Kara went back to examining him.

"We have tried that, Herald Menith," she said, putting her elbows on the crescent marble table that all the Councilors sat behind, steepling her fingers and looking entirely unconcerned by his anger, "if you remember correctly, we gave the task to you.  However, due to some unknown reason, he was unable to control his powers, and a Companion is now suffering because of it.  Herald Menith, this is entirely unacceptable."

Menith's shoulders shook with rage.

"You're barking mad!" he shouted.  "You can't exile him!  He's done nothing wrong!"

"We can," Kara insisted quietly, "we will, and he _has_.  Attacking a Companion _is _wrong, Menith, however you look at it."

"But-"

"Menith," Jhaspar cut him off impatiently, throwing the Herald a 'shut-up-right-now-if-you-know-what's-good-for-you' look.  Menith shook harder, then sat down with a hard 'thump'.

"None of us wants to exile the boy for something he cannot help-" the King's Own began.

_:Then__ don't.:_

 The entire Council room jumped, but before any non-Herald could go into a panic over a voice in the head that did not belong to them, the voice continued, and through the Council doors waltzed a _dyheli_.

_:I__ have a possible answer for your… problem,: _it said, advancing until it was in the center of the room.

Menith was staring with as much confusion as everyone else until Hyatee entered his head.

_:Her__ name is Jayl,: _the Companion explained, _:she's the new representative for the _dyheli_.:_

_:But__…: _Menith glanced to his left, where the gryphon that represented, or _had _represented, all the non-human species from the Pelagirs sat, _:but then what-:_

_:The_dyheli _and Valdemar are making some new treaties, just between them.  Some issues are a bit sensitive, like grazing rights, and keeping hunters off their herds, so the _dyheli _sent Jayl to do all the negotiating.  Be careful with what you say.  She's polite, but very shrewd.  She'll take you at word-value.:_

Menith nodded, and by the looks on the Herald's faces, he figured he wasn't the only one who was getting the information.

"Ambassador Jayl," Jhaspar greeted, bowing slightly, "if you do indeed have another option for us, we would be quite pleased to hear it."

Jayl fixed her ebony gaze on the King's Own, and was silent for a moment.

_:This__ boy you're thinking of exiling, is he dangerous only because of his Gift?: _she asked.  Menith spoke before any one else could.

"Yes.  He'd be perfectly harmless if it weren't for his Powers."

Jhaspar sent him a quick glare, which Menith happily returned.  Jayl switched her deep stare to him.

_:Then__ I propose this.  Send the boy to the Pelagirs.  Let my kind train him.  Everyone who knows anything about Mind Gifts will know that the _dyheli _hold the most advanced form of it, and know how to handle it,: _she turned her head to look at each Council member in turn, finally coming back to Menith, _:if we succeed, you will have a fully trained, very powerful Herald on your hands.  If we fail, we will dispose of the boy.:_

"What do you mean, dispose?" Menith asked, eyes narrowed.

_:I__ mean, we will seal off his power.  And, since you seem to be fond of the idea of getting rid of him,: _her gaze slid to Jhaspar and Kara, who met the _dyheli's_gaze unwaveringly, _:we will either house him within the Pelagirs, or send him away.:_

"And what would you want in return?" Kara voiced calmly.

_:Year__-round protection for the Herds roaming your lands, and unshared grazing lands.  As much as you might think we don't mind sharing with your livestock, we've had quite a few incidents of bulls and steeds becoming a little too interested in a few members of the Herds,: _Jayl snorted and looked a little amused, _:__we'd rather not have the _dyheli _kings spending their entire reign making sure their does don't have unwanted company.:_

The details were argued over, but in the end, Jayl got what she wanted, and Jhaspar and Kara got Neoka out of their hair.

"Now, to work out transportation-"Jhaspar began.

_:He__ will come with his Companion, of course,: _Jayl stated, _:unless you wish him to walk.:_

Before the King's Own or Kara could voice any argument, Jayl had turned and left the chamber.  The Council members quickly followed, muttering to each other about the meeting.

Menith frowned, unsure of what he thought about Neoka's future arrangements.  But he did know this: Jhaspar and Kara did not get what they wanted.

And for now, that was all Menith needed.

Author's Note: ^^ bigger chapter for everyone who wanted one!  This chap got a "meh" and a shrug from my grade-o-meter.  The next chapter is where we get things rolling.  Well, tell me what you thought of this one, k?  Reviews very much help my will to write *wink*


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